Hyourinmaru
by GrnEydDvl
Summary: Hitsugaya Toushiro and Kurosaki Karin meet again after a long absence to fight a new wave of hollows. But their relationship changed dramatically when they weren't looking. HitsuKarin
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, yes it's another HitsuxKarin fic, but they are just so much fun to write about. I promise to update this often, really often, since I can't stop writing once I've started.**

**Disclaimer-I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. I only own my own characters and ideas.**

Hitsugaya was in his office, doing paperwork. Again. He wondered vaguely where Matusmoto had run off to, since she usually popped her head in at this time of the afternoon. He sighed. It had been a long week and he was bored. He reached up to the stack on his desk and pulled down another sheet of paper before dipping his brush in ink.

He felt, rather than heard Matsumoto running down the hall. He could recognize her reiatsu anywhere, which gave him the much needed opportunity to brace his ears.

"Taicho!" Matsumoto cried, throwing open the door, deafening Hitsugaya in the process. "Guess what, guess what?!" She was much more cheerful than usual, and Hitsugaya was sure she couldn't have good news.

"What now, Matsumoto," he said, slightly aggravated, not looking up from his work.

"Taicho, we've been assigned to a mission in the human world! Finally, a break!" Matsumoto said excitedly, a broad grin on her face.

"Missions aren't breaks, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya stated, leaning back and crossing his arms, glaring at his fukutaicho. "So, what's the mission?"

"Karakura town. Apparently, there's been a group of Adjuchas that have been attacking it lately, and there are too many of them for the Kurosakis to handle on their own."

"That's unusual," said Hitsugaya, wondering just how many Adjuchas there had to be for the Kurosaki siblings to need help. He sighed and stood up.

"Well, there's no point in waiting around. Let's get this over with." He headed towards the door, Matsumoto on his tail.

"I wonder how she's doing? I bet she's really strong now," Hitsugaya thought to himself as they headed for the senkai gate. He was referring of course, to Kurosaki Karin, the shinigami representative he had trained himself.

He remembered the shock he had received when she had shown up at Orihime's door, where he had been staying at the time, in black shinigami robes, zanpakto stung across her back, insisting that she needed someone more stimulating to fight than Urahara. Hitsugaya hadn't even known she was attempting the shinigami transformation, yet here was living proof. He had debated with himself about whether or not he wanted to help with her training. Ichigo would probably murder several people when he found out about Karin's new status, but then again, Hitsugaya had had nothing to do with it, and Ichigo would probably have a few more heads if Karin wasn't prepared to fight. So he had acquiesced and trained her to the best of his abilities. She had been incredibly strong then, but he couldn't imagine what she was like now, especially if she had maintained her rigorous training like she said she would.

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It didn't take long for them to reach Karakura. It was almost nostalgic, returning here after an absence of over 10 years. Hitsugaya looked over the town, and memories flooded back to him. But they weren't the ones he was expecting. Instead of seeing the blood, tears, and dead bodies that had littered this town after the Winter War against Aizen, he found himself remembering happier times, like playing soccer with Karin, and swelling with pride as she singlehandedly defeated an Arrancar without receiving a single injury.

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto donned their gigais and headed towards the Kurosaki residence. They knocked on the door.

"Hai hai, one second," called a familiar voice from inside. Ichigo opened the door and was stunned to see who was standing there.

"Rangiku-san! Toushiro! What are you doing here?" A tick mark appeared on Hitsugaya's forehead.

"First of all," he began through gritted teeth, "it's Hitsugaya taicho. Second, are you still so bad at sensing reiatsu that you didn't know we were here? And third, Soul Society sent us to help you deal with your little Adjuchas problem." Matsumoto burst out laughing at the look on Ichigo's face.

"Who said we were having an Adjuchas problem?" he asked, his face turning red. "Karin and I are perfectly capable of taking care of them on our own. And what's with the crack about my reiatsu sensing ability?"

"You suck at it, you always have, Ichigo, don't take it personally!" Matsumoto laughed as Ichigo scowled again.

"Anyway, Toushiro, you've grown a lot since I last saw you," Ichigo noticed. "Back then, you didn't look older than 12!"

"Shut up. And it's Hitsugaya taicho!" Hitsugaya insisted. The truth was, he had grown. A lot. The intensity of the war had somehow sped up his aging process so that he could now pass for at least 18, but older if someone could hold his gaze long enough to stare into his eyes. Eyes that had seen so much. No 18 year old could have those eyes.

Ichigo lead Hitsugaya and Matsumoto inside. They sat around the kitchen table and Ichigo, still slightly miffed, began to tell Hitsugaya and Matsumoto about the current situation.

"It's not that bad, really, I don't know why you bothered coming," Ichigo sighed, resting his legs on the table and leaning back in his chair. "A few weeks ago, this bastard Adjuchas, I think his name was Kyojin or something like that, showed up with about 30 other Adjuchas. I think he emptied the menos forest to be honest, I don't know where they all came from. Anyway, they started wreaking havoc, eating souls, you know, the usual, until Karin and I showed up and beat the crap out of them. But they all seemed to have orders or something to return to Hueco Mundo as soon as they were injured, so we didn't really get to kill many of them. The whole group has shown up a few times, but they regenerate before they return here, so we haven't been able to do a lot of damage. I guess that's why they sent you to help."

Hitsugaya asked for more details, such as the Adjuchas's fighting style and how often they were appearing. In the middle of their conversation, the front door opened, and two people came in.

"Give it back!" Karin yelled playfully, jumping to recover her soccer ball, which was being held hostage by a rather handsome young man, who looked to be about Karin's age.

"No!" he laughed, pushing the soccer ball behind his back.

"Oi, Kentaro, it's my ball and I want it!" Karin stuck her arms around his waist, grabbing desperately for her ball, but Kentaro squirmed just right so that she couldn't reach it. Hitsugaya, but probably no one else, noticed a slight flush appear in the boy's cheeks as Karin wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face to his chest. For some inexplicable reason, this made Hitsugaya angry.

Karin, using a flexibility obtained from her shinigami training, weaseled under Kentaro's arm and snatched the soccer ball, holding it up in triumph.

"Ha, I win!" she cried, but was interrupted by Kentaro, who had gone for her waist and was tickling her furiously.

"Stop, Kentaro, oi, stop!" she laughed hysterically, doubled over in laugher, while trying futilely to push Kentaro off. Hitsugaya had definitely decided that he did not like this person.

"Ahem." The noise came from Ichigo, who had had quite enough of watching his sister be attacked. The two stopped and Kentaro turned to face Ichigo, grinning.

"Sorry, Ichi-nii, but you see, Karin here deserved it. She…oof," he grabbed his stomach as Karin removed her fist from his abs.

"Kentaro, stop causing trouble. All I did was beat you at kendo. Why can't you just admit I'm better then you!" She laughed joyfully, but the smile faded quickly as she turned and saw who else was seated around the table. She hadn't noticed Hitsugaya and Matsumoto's presence before that, she had been too engrossed in her…interaction with Kentaro. Kentaro seemed to notice Karin's face.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't realize you had guests! I guess that was kind of embarrassing. Ok, well, see you tomorrow Karin!" He waved at her, but Karin simply nodded. Kentaro glanced at the people at the table. There was a very attractive strawberry blond woman and a white-haired young man he didn't know. The man was glaring at him in a not-so-friendly way. Kentaro shrugged unconcernedly and headed home.

Karin seated herself at the table.

"It's been a long time, Rangiku-san, Toushiro-sensei," she said calmly, not looking at Hitsugaya. She had taken to calling him Toushiro-sensei during their training together, and Hitsugaya kind of liked it. It was endearing yet formal, and he knew that she meant it both as a term of respect and affection. But her reaction to seeing him bothered him. Was she upset about his presence? He didn't think they had left on bad terms, so why wouldn't she look at him? No one else seemed to notice however.

"It's great to see you Karin-chan!" Matsumoto said merrily.

"Karin, Toushiro and Rangiku-san are here to help us with those Adjuchas," Ichigo clarified. "And by the way, I think you and Kentaro are getting way to close! A woman your age should know better than to have a friend like him! I don't like the way he looks at you!" So they weren't dating! Hitsugaya realized, then wondered why this suddenly made him feel a little better. Karin scowled at Ichigo.

"It's my choice who I'm friends with, you have no control me Ichi-nii," she stated soundly, glaring at him in a very impressive imitation of Hitsugaya-an expression she had picked up subconsciously after spending so much time with him during her training. "And besides, you don't have to worry about me, you know better than anyone that I can defend myself!" And with that, she stormed upstairs. The slam of her bedroom door resounded throughout the house.

"I wonder what's gotten into her?" Ichigo asked aloud, while Hitsugaya stared longingly up the stairs.

**Ok, shameless plug, I know, but recycling a character seemed easier than creating a whole new one, and besides, he might as well be the same person. (For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, Kentaro is introduced in my story, "Advice", which is part 2 of my "Hatsukoi" series.) I'm not as confident in this story, so please let me know what you think so far. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed, it's so cool to see that people are actually reading my story! This chapter is a little shorter, I meant to put more of the story in it, but I'm posting it now because I don't know when I'll be able to finish the next part, and I want to get something else up.**

Hitsugaya was sitting on the roof, staring at the stars. He was disturbed. Why had Karin reacted like that upon seeing him? She hadn't said a word to him. She hadn't so much as looked at him after she realized he was there. Was it all his imagination? And why did he care so much? He sighed deeply.

Suddenly, Hyourinmaru stirred beside him. The sword shook for a moment and glowed softly. The temperature in the area dropped as a pale blue ice dragon with glowing red eyes flew smoothly and gracefully out of the hilt. It circled the sky several times, before settling down next to Hitsugaya, curled up like a rattlesnake.

"It's been a long time since you've come out, Hyourinmaru," Hitsugaya said casually to the dragon, not the least bit disturbed by the cold.

"It's been a long time since I've been needed," Hyourinmaru replied. "Your mind is in turmoil. It's painful to be in there. So I thought I'd come out and help you steady yourself."

"I don't need your help. I'll be fine…" Hitsugaya said, in a rather gruffer tone of voice than he meant to use. He turned to see the dragon fixing him with a death stare, the kind that would send most normal people running for their lives.

"Sorry," Hitsugaya apologized curtly. "I guess I am a little disturbed at the moment." He couldn't get angry at Hyourinmaru. He was his strength, an extension of himself. He lived in his mind and knew everything about him, and probably more. Hyourinmaru was the only person, (well, person is the wrong word but thing is too demeaning) that Hitsugaya could really open up to. There were no secrets between them.

"How do you feel about the Kurosaki girl?" Hyourinmaru asked in his smooth and cold voice, skipping all pretense.

"You already know how I feel, so why are you asking?" Hitsugaya replied, turning away to look at the sky instead of those burning red eyes.

"It doesn't matter what I know," Hyourinmaru continued knowingly. "I want to know what you think. I don't ask you unnecessary questions." Hyourinmaru fixed Hitsugaya with another stare, but it was less bone-chilling than the last one. Hitsugaya sighed.

"She's my student, my comrade, and my friend. You know I was excited to see her and that I'm anxious to watch her fight, but well…I'm bothered by the fact that she won't acknowledge me." Hitsugaya paused and looked up at the stars. It didn't feel good to admit that, even to Hyourinmaru, to whom he wasn't really admitting anything.

"Stop keeping things from me," Hyourinmaru reprimanded. "There is more to it than that. How do you feel about the boy?" Hitsugaya stiffened unconsciously.

"I honestly don't know why he bothers me so much. He's just Karin's friend, her friends were guys before too, but something about seeing her be so comfortable with him…" he trailed off, but Hyourinmaru didn't pry. He waited patiently, but Hitsugaya didn't continue.

"You're jealous." It was not a question. It was a statement. Hitsuagaya stared at the dragon wide-eyed.

"Jealous! How could I be jealous! That would mean I…"

"Yes," said Hyourinmaru, finally reaching his point. "Your affections for Kurosaki Karin have surpassed mere friendship. I'm glad you finally understand." Hitsugaya shook his head, trying to clear it of this newfound knowledge.

"How long have you known?" Hitsugaya asked Hyourinmaru, hoping that he wasn't as big a fool as the dragon was making him out to be.

"Ages," Hyourinmaru stated flatly, confirming Hitsugaya's fears. "Since the last time you sat here. You are astonishingly naïve about your own emotions." Hitsugaya scoffed, but didn't respond. He knew better than anyone how much he hid his emotions, even from himself. But apparently, he couldn't hide them from Hyourinmaru. The source of his strength was just too in-tuned to the inner workings of his mind.

"So what do I do now?" Hitsugaya asked, deciding that it was not worth fighting this point. If Hyourinmaru said that he liked Karin, then he liked Karin. The ice dragon wouldn't lie to him.

"I believe you are intelligent enough to determine that on your own," Hyourinmaru replied airily. "And I think it is safe for me to return now. Your mind should be much calmer now." Hitsugaya didn't really think he felt a whole lot better. In fact, he felt much worse. But Hyourinmaru had said all he needed to say, and gracefully disappeared into the hilt of the sword at Hitsugaya's side.

**Flashback promised next chapter to explain what the heck ****Hyourinmaru**** was talking about.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the promised flashback. I originally meant to make this part of chapter 2, so the whole sitting on the roof thing might get old. I apologize for that.**

Hitsugaya sighed deeply. It had been a long time since Hyourinmaru had felt that his mind was so troubled that he had taken it upon himself to clear it. That had been right after Hinamori had woken up and Hitsugaya was having second thoughts about killing Aizen for her sake. It was his greatest moment of weakness and Hyourinmaru had stated quite clearly that he did not intend to lend his strength to someone so weak. If his mind was as disturbed this time as it had been then, Hitsugaya thought, then this is a much more complex issue than he had realized.

The last time he sat here, Hyourinmaru had said. He had liked Karin since then. Hitsugaya leaned back and gazed at the stars. He remembered that night clearly. He had often thought about it during his long absence from Karakura.

It had been the night after the Arrancar attack in which Inoue Orihime had been kidnapped. But they didn't know that at the time. Hitsugaya had helped Rukia bring a severely wounded Ichigo home, but instead of returning to Orihime's, he had sat on the roof of the Kurosaki's house, wanting to think without the distraction of Matsumoto. Karin had found him. Well, found is the wrong word since he wasn't exactly hiding, but she had come to sit by his side anyway.

_Flashback_

"So, how was your fight?" he asked as she plopped herself down next him.

"I didn't have one," she replied, a note of irritation in her voice. "I was taking an exam, and the teacher wouldn't let me 'go to the bathroom' and by the time I could get away all the Espada had left so there was no one left for me to fight." She sighed. "I could really do with one of those mod-soul things, but Urahara said he can't get me any at the moment since Soul Society is too busy with other things." She huffed angrily. "I was really itching to fight too, I want to practice some of those cool moves you taught me."

"Fighting Espada isn't practice," Hitsugaya reprimanded gently, although he wasn't really angry. "It's the real thing. If you want to practice, practice on me."

"Yes Toushiro-sensei," Karin mocked. Hitsugaya let the slightest of smiles pass across his lips, but it was gone so quickly, that he didn't even register it happening.

"Neh, Toushiro-sensei," Karin began curiously. "Why do you look at the sky? I know you said it brings back memories, but why/ Or is that too personal a question?" Hitsugaya looked away from her. Thoughts of Hinamori had been bothering him all day and Karin mentioning the sky brought him to the breaking point.

"It reminds me of someone," he said softly, crossing his arms in his lap. "My best friend. Well, she's like a combination of best friend and sister. When we were little, our house overlooked a huge valley. We used to watch the sunset together from our porch." Hitsugaya tried to ignore the silent tear that was slowly trailing down his cheek at the memory of happier days with Hinamori. Karin looked away from him, wanting to help him preserve his dignity. Hitsugaya noticed this and was exceedingly grateful. It gave him the strength to continue.

"She was Aizen's fukutaicho and practically worshiped him. But he tried to frame me for his death which sent her mind into turmoil. Then, before he left, he…stabbed her." Hitsugaya's tears were flowing freely now. He could never remember crying before, but for some reason, he felt safe with Karin, safe enough to show her a side of himself he had never shown to anyone. Karin leaned over and placed her arm around him. She still didn't look at him, pretending he wasn't exposing his weakest side to her. This tiny gesture caused him to break down completely, and soon he was sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder.

After a while, Hitsugaya's outburst had calmed to mere hiccoughs, and Karin felt it was safe to speak.

"I look at the river." Hitsugaya looked up at her, confused by that statement. Was that supposed to calm him down? But he realized that, while her eyes were glowing brightly in the moonlight, she wasn't really looking at anything. Not anything physical at least. She was looking into herself, and Hitsugaya understood that she was about to share something with him that was just as personal as what he had just shared with her. Karin continued.

"I look at the river the same way you look at the sky. It reminds me of someone. My mother. She died when I was only four, but when we were little, she used to take us to the river for picnics. We'd play in the water and she would make the most delicious obentos. Then we'd all play tag. Those are some of my happiest childhood memories. When she died along the river, Ichigo used to go there every day, searching for her. My father would go down to comfort him, tell him that it wasn't his fault and that he was not alone. But what my family never realized is…I went there too. Every chance I got, I'd go sit by the river and think about my mother. Even though I never cried at home again, sometimes, when I was alone by the river, I would let loose and cry my heart out. I still go there to think, or when I'm lonely or worried about something. I…I've never told that to anyone before," she added, a slight color rising in her cheeks. They sat in silence for several moments, each appreciating the fact that they had finally found someone with whom they could expose themselves. They could show each other their weaknesses, yet be stronger for it. It was then that they both appreciated the friendship they had developed.

"Do you think that's why your zanpakto is water based?" Hitsugaya asked, trying to show Karin that he understood her without embarrassing her.

"Yes," she said, looking at him for the first time since he had started crying. "Every time I release it, I feel like my mother is there, guiding my blade and helping me fight to the best of my abilities."

"You're very lucky Karin," he whispered, placing his arm around her. They stayed like that for a long time, not speaking. It took a while for Hitsugaya to realize that Karin had fallen asleep. He carried her to her room and lay her down gently in her bed before returning to Orihime's to ensure a worried Matsumoto that he had not been abducted by the Espada (someone else had, which changed all of their plans).

_End of Flashback_

Hitsugaya didn't have a chance to see Karin again before Yamamoto-soutaicho had ordered them back the next morning. He didn't see her again for several months, not until he went back to Karakura to fight in the Winter War, and then they had barely spoken about anything but battle tactics. The night they had shared on the roof had remained locked deep in their hearts. So deep, in fact, that Hitsugaya did not even realize what had truly crossed between them until Hyourinmaru came out and told him.

"So that was the night when Karin became more than a friend to me?" Hitsugaya asked himself. It made sense. Part of knew that he had always known that, but had suppressed his feelings. But what was he to do now that he knew? He didn't think he could look Karin in the eye again. He was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't sense her until she was standing right behind him.

"Toushiro-sensei," she said timidly.

**Ok, I promise they leave the roof in the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Last bit on the roof, and then I promise something exciting happens.**

Karin couldn't sleep. She had been tossing and turning for hours, but she just couldn't shake the look on Hitsugaya's face from her mind. It was haunting her, like a bad dream. She had thought about him a lot during their absence, hoping and praying that she would see him again, and when he finally came back, what was she doing? Flirting with Kentaro! Karin rolled over and stared at the ceiling. She wouldn't even really mind so much, except Hitsugaya had looked so hurt! She hadn't been able to face him after that. She had admitted to herself a long time ago that she had a crush on her friend and sensei. What's not to like? He was powerful and handsome, he understood her and she him. He had seen her at her strongest moments and her weakest moments. Anyone who was that close to you must hold a special place in your heart. She had brushed off her crush as a school-girl affection that any normal person would have for a friend who they held so dear. But after seeing Hitsugaya's eyes, she knew that her crush had been more than that. She felt guilty for showing affection towards another boy right in front of him. And she didn't even like Kentaro that way!.

Suddenly, she felt Hitsugaya's reiatsu flare, and realized that he was on the roof, not sleeping like she had thought. She thought she could also sense Hyourinmaru, but since there was no way Hitsugaya could be fighting at this hour, she assumed it was her imagination. She got out of bed and climbed over a sleeping Matsumoto. She needed to talk to him, to explain what he had seen and how glad she was to see him. Ignoring him was going to make things even weirder between them.

She climbed up to the roof and shivered. It was much colder than she had expected it to be this time of year. She walked up behind him cautiously.

"Toushiro-sensei," she said timidly.

Hitsugaya turned to look at her. She was shivering in the cold air created by Hyourinmaru's appearance. Looking at her like this, vulnerable in the moonlight, he fully appreciated how much she had grown in his absence. She was truly a woman now.

"Karin, what are doing awake?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She huffed and sat down beside him. He suddenly felt slightly awkward at her close proximity. "Damn that Hyrourinmaru for putting ideas into my head!" he started to think, but stopped immediately upon hearing a low growl ring through his mind.

"That's none of your business, this is my house and I'm not a child anymore!" she insisted, attempting, and failing, to hide her grin.

"How did you know I was up here?" he asked, thrilled that she was finally speaking to him.

"Well, you weren't exactly hiding your reiatsu. I can sense it you know," she stated soundly.

"Oh," he teased, "well, if you're so good at sensing reiatsu, then why were you so shocked to see me this afternoon? You should have known I was in your house! Honestly, you're as bad at sensing reiatsu as your brother!"

"Hey, there's no one as bad as Ichi-nii!" she retorted. "And how is this _my_ fault? Aren't you the one to blame, Toushiro-sensei, since you're the one who trained me?"

"There are some things you just can't teach. This lack in your education is entirely your responsibility!" Talking to her like this felt good, natural even. There was no one else he could joke with quite like this. He realized as he spoke just how much he had missed her companionship.

"Neh, Toushiro-sensei," Karin said slowly, hugging her legs to her chest, "about today. When I first saw you I mean. I'm sorry about my reaction, I don't want you to think I was unhappy to see you, I was just so shocked. It's been so long and, well, that boy, he's just a friend. I just didn't know what to say to you I…I guess what I'm trying to say is…I've missed you Toushiro. A lot." Karin looked away from him to hide the pink tinge that was rising in her cheeks. Hitsugaya registered the nervousness in her voice and the blush on her face, but what struck him the most was what she had called him. She hadn't called him Toushiro in a long time. It signified her true feelings, and that she no longer wanted to view him as just a sensei.

Suddenly, Hitsugaya was very grateful that Hyourinmaru had explained his feelings to him. Otherwise, he would never have had the courage to do what he wanted to do next. He slowly reached a shacking hand towards Karin and placed it gently on her cheek, turning her face towards him. Her eyes widened slightly and she turned a deeper shade of red at his touch, but she let him guide her face until they were staring at each other.

"I've missed you too Karin," Hitsugaya said in an unsteady voice. Then, before he could think too hard about his actions, he leaned towards her. Slowly, inch by inch, their faces coming closer and closer together until their noses were touching and Hitsugaya could feel her warm breath around his mouth. He closed his eyes. His heart was racing and he could feel it pounding against his chest. They were seconds away from their first kiss. Their lips were almost touching.

The cry of Hitsugaya's cell phone rang through the night, startling the young couple and pulling them brutally back to reality. They both knew what the cell phone meant. The Adjuchas had appeared again and it was time to fight. Reluctantly, very reluctantly, Hitsugaya pulled back from her. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his phone.

"Adjuchas," he read aloud, his eyes darting across the screen. "32 of them in Karakura's west district." Karin simply nodded. Her heart was still pounding and her mind was reeling about what had just occurred, but she tried not to let it show. She needed to be focused if she was going to face the Adjuchas army. They jumped off the roof, landing at the same time as Matsumoto.

"Where's Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya asked. Karin scoffed and mumbled something about "that idiot brother," before jumping up and landing smoothly on Ichigo's windowsill.

"So taicho, what were you and Karin-chan doing on the roof?" Matsumoto asked slyly, winking at him and nudging his arm. "Go on, you can tell me." Hitsugaya rolled his eyes.

"We're old friends, what's wrong with us having a conversation? Honestly Matsumoto, I'm not in love with every girl I speak to. You're living proof of that. Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Aw, but taicho," Matsunoto whined. "You're so cute together and you always have been! Why don't you just…"

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya yelled, becoming increasingly frustrated with her, especially since she didn't realize how dangerously close to the truth she was. "For the last time drop it! You're going to be in trouble when we get back if you don't shut up right now!"

"But…" Matsumoto began, unwilling to give up the opportunity to tease her taicho. Fortunately for her, she was interrupted by the arrival of Karin and Ichigo.

"Let's go!" Ichigo cried impatiently. "I want to get that freaking Kyojin once and for all!" They all shouted their agreement and raced together towards the west district.

---------------------

The roar of the Adjuchas and the sounds of destruction were audible long before they came into view. The four shinigami landed in a battle zone and stood, back to back, glaring at the army.

"Oh, so you're back, are you? I see you brought help this time," one said in a booming voice that Hitsugaya could feel seeping into his bones.

"Oi, Kyojin," Ichigo said, unsheathing his zanpakto and grinning broadly, "It doesn't matter who's with me! I'm your opponent. This time, you won't escape." He held his zanpakto in front of him, one hand on the hilt, the other on his elbow.

"Bankai!" he shouted and was suddenly dressed in a new robe, wielding a thin, jet black sword. Ichigo wasted no time in attacking Kyojin with full force.

The other three didn't stand around to watch. In unison, they drew their swords.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" Hitsugaya cried.

"Growl, Heineko!" Matsumoto shouted.

"Drown everything in your path, Mizufenikkusu!" Karin screamed. Hitsugaya basked in the familiar reiatsu of Karin's zanpakto. He couldn't help but watch as it glowed a brilliant blue. A phoenix of water erupted from the tip and circled over Karin's head sending sprays of kido-laden water towards several unfortunate Adjuchas. Hitsugaya inwardly marveled at how strong she had become. Despite being engaged in his own battles, he couldn't help but notice how Karin had become faster, stronger, and more strategic. Her reiatsu was triple what he remembered. When she shouted "bankai!" and the number of phoenixes grew from 1 to 100, he was only slightly surprised. He had almost been expecting it. He felt a tremendous amount of pride that he had been her sensei, but even more than that, he was overwhelmingly impressed at her dedication to her training that had led her to this point. He actually wondered for a brief moment if he could beat her in a sparring match.

Soon, they each became so immersed in their own battles that they stopped paying attention to each other. Matsumoto chased a couple Adjuchas who were threatening to run away to Hueco Mundo, and Hitsugaya lost sight of her. Karin's bankai sent streams of shimmering water at several Adjuchas, incinerating them instantly. Hitsugaya froze a group of unfortunate Adjuchas in an icy grave. Ichigo battled furiously with the leader, Kyojin.

The numbers dwindled quickly, the presence of two new shinigami apparently being too much for the Adjuchas. Finally, only Ichigo and Kyojin were left.

"What do you think now, Kyojin!" Ichigo spat, a smile spreading across his face. "You've got no army anymore. It's just you and me!"

"It doesn't matter!" Kyojin shouted, but the panic rising in his voice was apparent to everyone present. "This isn't over, Kurosaki Ichigo. I'll build a new army! Don't you forget my face!" and with that, he opened up a portal to Hueco Mundo.

"Wait!" Ichigo shouted, sending a getsuga tenshou towards the portal. But he was too late. Kyojin had disappeared.

"Crap," Ichigo cursed furiously.

"It doesn't matter, Ichi-nii, it'll take him years to build a new army," Karin tried to comfort him. "We got the rest, everything's alright now." Hitsugaya approached them, sheathing Hyourinmaru as he walked.

"I'm impressed Karin," he said honestly. "You've kept up with your training. Nice bankai!" Karin grinned at him.

"Thanks, Toushiro-sensei!" she said excitedly, more than a little proud that Hitsugaya had had the chance to see her fight. Now that the battle was over, she was eager to pull him aside and continue what the Adjuchas had so rudely interrupted. But Hitsugaya was distracted.

"Where's Matsumoto?" he asked, scanning the area around him. They all stopped and looked around, but no one could see her. Hitsugaya kept his head cool and felt for her reiatsu. He could sense it even if it was low. Really low.

"Over there," he said, trying not to let his concern show in his voice. He raced towards a clump of bushes near where Matusmoto had ran while chase the escaping Adjuchas. Hitsugaya cleared the bushes with a single leap and stopped dead.

Matsumoto lay on the ground, unconscious. She had received horrible slash wounds to her side and shoulder and was bleeding profusely. Hitsugaya knelt beside her and felt her pulse (do shinigami even have pulses?). It was present, but weak. He relaxed ever so slightly with the confirmation that she was alive, but he knew he had to get her treatment as soon as possible.

Karin and Ichigo reached Hitsugaya and gasped at the sight.

"Rangiku-san!" Ichigo said startled.

"I…I've never seen her this injured before," Karin said, her shock evident. It was true. Matsumoto had always fought at Hitsugaya's side, and they had always protected each other. Even in the Winter War, when they had saved each other's lives multiple times, Matsumoto had only ever received minor scratches and bruises. Hitsugaya had made sure of that. He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty at her current state. But he would worry about that later.

Hitsugaya ripped off parts of his captain's hiori and wrapped them tightly around her wounds. It wasn't much, but at least it would stop the bleeding. Karin knelt beside him to help.

"Kurosaki," Hitsugaya said without turning away from Matsumoto. "Get Inoue. Tell her it's an emergency."

"Can't," Ichigo replied. "She's in medical school in Tokyo."

"Urahara then," Hitsugaya continued, forcing himself not to panic.

"Out of town getting supplies for his shop," Karin said bitterly, tying a knot in the temporary bandages.

"Then I'll just have to take her back." Hitsugaya stood up and withdrew Hyourinmaru. He opened a senkai gate and two hell butterflies appeared. He lifted Matsumoto into his arms. She was heavier than he was expecting, but he was strong and her dead weight didn't matter to him at the moment.

He looked back as the doors were closing and caught Karin's eye. The look that passed between them spoke volumes. They both remembered their almost kiss and knew what it meant. They both knew that a drastic change had occurred in their relationship. They wanted to talk, to be honest with each other, but taking care of Matsumoto was top priority. Karin's eyes pleaded with him to return. But he couldn't promise her that. So, instead of filling his eyes with hope and promise, the look he gave her only said, "I'm sorry." Sorry for what she would have to figure out on her own, because before they could continue their silent conversation, the gate had closed and Hitsugaya was racing as fast as he could towards Soul Society.

**Yay****, excitement, adventure, romance, and suspense! I hope you liked this chapter, there's a lot in it. By the way, Karin's ****zanpakto****Mizufenikkusu**** means water phoenix. Water isn't usually associated with phoenixes, but then again, neither are dragons, and dragons and phoenixes do go together.**


	5. Chapter 5

**As hessan has pointed out, dragons do in fact control water, so I retract my previous bash of Hyourinmaru. But Karin's zanpakto is still water based, since it has to be for the story to make sense.**

**Note: This chapter has been updated. No major changes were made, but I rearranged some of the conversations so that they fit better. Nothing really important, but just a heads up if you've read this before.**

"Her condition has improved, Hitsugaya taicho," Unohana said sweetly. "She is still unconscious, but her wounds are healing nicely. Her life is not in danger, and I am confident that she will make a full recovery."

"Arigato," Hitsugaya acknowledged, feeling some semblance of relief flow through him at this news. Every day for the past week had been the same, the growing tension and feeling of guilt, followed by a slight respite of relief as Unohana explained that Matsumoto was indeed recovering. He nodded at Unohana, then left 4th squad to return to his office, hoping that the tediousness of paperwork would help prevent his mind from wandering.

A few shinigami found it odd that Hitsugaya visited Matsumoto every day, but Hitsugaya would have felt strange if he didn't. Matsumoto was, after all, his fukutaicho, his second in command, and had been for a long time. But his concern for her went far beyond his responsibilities as her taicho. They had been together through so much, experienced both joy and pain, and had survived together. As much as she irritated him, Matsumoto was his partner and his friend, and he berated himself for being so engrossed in Karin that he hadn't protected her properly during that battle.

Karin. Above and beyond his worry for Matsumoto, thoughts of Karin haunted him. He vividly remembered the rush that he felt as he was about to kiss her, and the pain in her eyes when they had been forced to part so suddenly, without the opportunity to explain and understand what had happened on that roof. Hitsugaya knew he cared for her deeply, he couldn't possibly deny that now, and he was confident that she felt the same. But even more than that, he wanted to talk to her about Matsumoto's condition. She could comfort him in a way no one else could, not even Hinamori. She had seen him at his weakest moment, and somehow, he knew that she would know just what to say to him now. He wanted nothing more than to return to Karakura and see her again. But as he had no good excuse for going to the living world, he could not afford such a visit. He didn't know when he would next see her, and that thought hurt him even more deeply than his guilt at Matsumoto's injuries.

Suddenly, Hitsugaya's head jerked up as he felt a very familiar reiatsu.

"It can't be," he thought aloud, receiving several stares from passing shinigami. Hitsugaya ignored them and rapidly changed directions. The more he felt for the reiatsu, the more he was certain of the person emitting it.

He paused outside 1st squad and decided to wait for her to leave. He had no business barging in on a private meeting with the soutaicho. He stood there for a while, anxiety almost reaching the breaking point, when finally, the doors opened and a triumphant Karin left the room.

"Howdy, Toushiro-sensei!" she beamed at him. "See, this time I knew you were waiting for me!"

"What on earth are you doing here?" Hitsugaya asked wide-eyed, slightly stunned by her over-exuberance, but thrilled to see her nonetheless.

"What, you're not glad to see me?" she pouted briefly before breaking into laughter. "Come on, I'm in a great mood right now and I'm just itching to train. I always train when I'm excited, and I'm feeling fantastic."

"But…" Hitsugaya tried to protest, but she tugged on his arm and he finally caved and led her towards the 10th squad training grounds.

"Alright," he sighed, knowing that there was no way around this. "But I'll only train with you if you tell me why you're here. And what's made you so happy?"

"I came to see Yamamoto soutaicho," she said excitedly, and Hitsugaya almost grinned at the joyous look on her face. "It took a while, but I finally managed to convince him. He gave me permission to travel back and forth to Soul Society whenever I want, and to stay as long as I want!" Hitsugaya gaped at her.

"You convinced the soutaicho to let you do that!?" he asked, unable to hide his shock. "But you're a human. Even if you are a shinigami, you're still alive! How did you…"

"I'm just that good!" Karin insisted. "I can be a smooth talker when I want to be!"

"I'll say," Hitsugaya mumbled, and subsequently received a rap on the side of the head from Karin.

"I just told him that I wanted more training," Karin explained. "Fighting with Ichi-nii is great and all, but you can only get so strong fighting the same opponent all the time."

"That's what you said to me when you asked me to train you the first time," he added slyly. She blushed slightly.

"So, how's Matsumoto-san," Karin asked gently, her face becoming more serious for a moment. Hitsugaya's eyes lost the joy that had lit them up momentarily upon Karin's reappearance.

"She's still unconscious, but her life's not in danger," he said slowly, trying to hide his pain. "Her wounds are healing and Unohana says that she'll recover soon." Karin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, at least that's nothing to worry about. What?" she responded to the incredulous look on Hitsugaya's face. "Don't tell me you blame yourself for what happened? Matsumoto-san is a fukutaicho, she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself. It would be depriving her of her honor in battle for you to take credit for her wounds. And besides, she's going to be fine. My father's a doctor, I know all about injuries. Healing takes time. Her condition is nothing to worry about." Hitsugaya relaxed. He could almost feel some of the tension that had been building up melt off his shoulders. Karin's words had brought him more comfort than she may have realized. She was right of course. Matsumoto was proud of her position and her abilities, and if she knew how much he worried about her injuries being his fault, she would have inflicted similar injuries upon him. Hitsugaya was tremendously grateful to Karin. He had known that she would know exactly what to say.

"Now let's train!" Karin exclaimed. They had reached the training grounds and now stood in a wide field, surrounded by hills that prevented any stray attacks from finding their way towards the squad buildings. They walked to the center of the field and drew their swords.

"Don't hold back, Toushiro-sensei!" she teased before charging at him. The clash of their swords reverberated across the valley. They shunpoed rapidly, their bodies soon becoming blurs. They released shikai, then bankai, wanting to train all aspects of their skills.

Hitsugaya had to admit, she was good. Really good. He had been impressed with her abilities after the Adjuchas battle, but it was nothing, NOTHING, compared to her skill now. She was his match, swing for swing, shunpo for shunpo, kido for kido. She kept up with him throughout the entire battle, never tiring or wavering. They traded back and forth who had the actual advantage. Hitsugaya marveled: she was truly his equal in battle. He could never have imagined this.

Finally, breathless and exhausted, they called a draw. Other than minor cuts and bruises, they were uninjured, a miraculous outcome of such an intense training session between two masters and further evidence of both of their skill.

"So why are you really here?" Hitsugaya asked Karin as he approached her. He couldn't even begin to formulate the words that would tell her how impressed he was. "You clearly didn't come here for training. I've got nothing left to teach you."

"You're right," she admitted, smirking. "I didn't come for training. I came you give you something that you forgot."

"What did I…" Hitsugaya began to ask, but Karin answered his question before he could finish by pressing her lips against his. He was stunned only for a moment, but he had been expecting it, and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. After several moments, they pulled apart.

"Oh, that," Hitsugaya said, a smile spreading across his face.

**Hurray, they finally kissed! By the way, thank you all so much for reviewing, they really mean a lot to me and show me that people are actually reading my story, which is mega exciting.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Second update of the day!**** I hope you enjoy it!**

Karin was on cloud 9. No, nine is too low. She was on cloud 47. She had realized, after Hitsugaya had left with an injured Matsumoto, that she just couldn't live without him anymore. She needed him in her life. And now he was. And it was better than she could have dreamed.

She went to Soul Society to visit him almost every day, taking full advantage of her new privilege to travel freely between the worlds. Due to Matsumoto's complete absence from her squad, Hitsugaya had an inordinate amount of paperwork, since Matsumoto at least helped a bit. Karin was bored sitting around the office doing nothing, so she had taken to helping him. This meant the work was done twice as fast, and it also meant that Hitsugaya had more time to train with her. Not that she really needed it. It was true that they were equals when it came to sword fighting. But they managed to find things she didn't know, like upper level kidos that Ichigo, who had taken over most of her training, had never even heard of, and besides, the training sessions were more of an excuse to spend time together than anything else.

She still hadn't told anyone about him. All of Soul Society knew about their little romance, and Hitsugaya was receiving more than his fair share of teasing and snide comments, but he didn't seem to mind. They were all in jest anyway since no one could actually get away with mocking the 10th squad taicho and live to tell the tale. And he was so happy that he didn't even seem to notice. But Karin hadn't told anyone in the human world. Ichigo would probably rush to Soul Society and behead Hitsugaya, Yuzu wouldn't shut up about it, her father, well she really didn't want to see his reaction if she told him she was seeing someone, and it would just take too much explanation for her to tell her friends. It was easier overall to keep it a secret.

One afternoon several months after their first kiss, Karin was to be found wandering home aimlessly, daydreaming about the previous evening when Hitsugaya had taken her to a romantic spot to watch the stars. She was anxious to go back to Soul Society, but Kentaro had made her promise to go out with him that evening. It was his birthday, and she had been neglecting him since she spent so much of her time in Soul Society. He was her best friend and all and she felt that she owed him this.

As Karin wandered down the street, lost in thought, she didn't notice two figures sneaking up behind her.

"Gotcha!" one shouted, grabbing Karin's arms from behind.

"Oi, Kentaro, what are doing!" she yelled, trying to twist out of his grasp. The other person waved his arm and a car pulled up. He opened the door and Kentaro shoved Karin in.

"Drive!" Kentaro shouted, and the driver floored the gas pedal.

"Kentaro, Shinta, Ryoga, to what do I owe the displeasure of this kidnapping?" Karin insisted angrily, but she was grinning. These were three of her closest friends and she knew that they meant her no harm.

"Karin, you've been avoiding us lately!" Shinta, the diver stated. "We've missed you."

"Yeah, where've you been?" Ryoga, the one who had hailed the car pleaded. "Do you have a secret lover or something?" The whole car burst out laughing, which gave Karin a nice opportunity to hide her blush. She responded by punching Ryoga in the arm.

"So, what's the deal?" Karin asked impatiently. "Are you going to tell me why you attacked me, or do I have to guess?"

"You promised to spend my birthday with me," Kentaro pouted.

"Yes, Kentaro, exactly. I promised. That means I was going to spend your birthday with you. So why have you abducted me?"

"Because this was more fun!" he laughed, throwing his arms above his head to protect himself against Karin's assault.

"Plus," Shinta added, "you would never have agreed to come if you knew where we were going." Kentaro and Ryoga both hit him at that.

"Oi!" he yelled, "I'm driving."

"So where exactly are we going?" Karin asked, fixing them with that deathly stare she had learned from Hitsugaya.

"We're going to a hot spring," Kentaro said cautiously.

"A hot spring!" Karin yelled, utterly shocked. "I thought we were just going to dinner!" A trip to the hot spring would be overnight at least, and she had wanted to visit Hitsugaya tomorrow, having missed him today.

"Come on Karin," Kentaro whined, "you never spend time with us anymore, we haven't seen you in ages, and it's my birthday!"

"Yeah, you spend all your time with that secret lover of yours!" Ryoga teased. This time, Karin was able to pass off the red color in her cheeks as anger rather than embarrassment.

"But my dad would never let me go, and I can't just disappear! Besides, I don't have a change of clothes or anything!"

"We've already taken care of that!" Kentaro smirked. "Your dad knows we were taking you and Yuzu packed you a bag. So will you come?" His eyes pleaded with her. Karin sighed. She had been neglecting them lately and it _was_ his birthday. Just because she had a boyfriend didn't mean she should forget about her friends.

"All right, I'll come," she finally agreed.

"Yay, Karin's coming!" they cried as Kentaro hugged her and received a punch in the face in return, causing Shinta and Ryoga to break down in hysterical laughter.

"See Kentaro, I told you that you were more important than any old lover!" Ryoga teased. This time, it was Kentaro's turn to blush.

---------------------------------

Karin had to admit, she was having a blast. The resort they went to was gorgeous. It was surrounded by mountains and had fresh flowers and flowing streams everywhere. After threatening the boys with decapitation if they peeked at her, Karin split off from them and went for a soak in the hot springs. Feeling refreshed and dressed in dry, airy yukatas, the four sat down to a delicious dinner. They laughed, teased, and told embarrassing, yet lighthearted stories, trying to force each other to blush. But Karin couldn't tell if her friend's red faces were from blushing or drinking. The boys consumed an enormous amount of sake and got louder and wilder as the night progressed. Karin limited herself. She wanted to keep her wits about her. They may be her friends, but being the only woman in a room full of drunk men was never a good idea, and she wanted to be sober.

Finally, Ryoga and Shinta passed out on the floor, and Kentaro said he was ready for bed. Karin wasn't the least bit sleepy, she had too much adrenalin and was in too good a mood for sleep, so she decided to go for a walk and enjoy the scenery.

She walked along one of the many winding rivers, watching the fish swim gracefully. The scent of lilies was strong in the warm night breeze. Karin gazed up at the stars, and, with a smile, she remembered her previous evening with Hitsugaya. She was suddenly struck with an overwhelming urge to call him. As part of her new rights of travel between the worlds, Karin had also received a communicator cell phone. She knew it wasn't supposed to be used for personal calls, but it was evening and she really only wanted to hear his voice and tell him that she probably wouldn't be able to come the next day.

She took her phone out of her pocket and dialed Hitsugaya's number. But before it had connected, the phone was ripped out of her hand.

"It's too nice a night to be talking on the phone," Kentaro said, throwing the phone over his shoulder. Unbeknownst to either of them, the phone remained open when it hit the ground.

"Hello? Hello? Karin?" Hitsugaya's voice came softly through the speaker. But neither Karin nor Kentaro heard him. They were too busy fighting.

"Oi, Kentaro, that's my phone! Go get it back!" Karin insisted, glaring at him.

"Kentaro?" Hitsugaya wondered. "Wasn't that the boy that was with Karin that day?"

"No." Kentaro stated soundly. "It's a beautiful evening and I want to talk to you. Who were you calling anyway?" he asked protectively.

"They don't know I'm listening," Hitsugaya realized. He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop on Karin's private conversation, but he just couldn't force himself to put the phone down, not if Karin was alone with that boy.

"It's none of your business who I call, thank you very much!" Karin replied angrily. "Now go get my phone!"

"You don't trust me anymore do you?" Kentaro sighed.

"Of course I do," she said, her voice softening, "but why do you have to know all of my business?"

"I don't know any of your business anymore Karin!" Kentaro replied, the hurt apparent in his voice. "I never see you anymore, you're always away somewhere or busy with something. I miss you." He leaned closer to her and Karin stiffened.

"Kentaro, you smell like alcohol," Karin admonished, moving away from him. "You're still drunk aren't you?"

"Maybe," he drawled, reaching out to grab Karin's arm, "but if I wasn't, I wouldn't be able to tell you the truth. I love you Karin!" and before Karin could react or move away, Kentaro had kissed her.

**Oooo****, drama.**** And another kiss! I wasn't planning on developing this part so much, but everyone seemed to want it, so here you go! I hope this was enough love triangle stuff to satisfy you all :) **


	7. Chapter 7

Hitsugaya nearly dropped the phone. Did that guy just say he loved her?! He waited desperately to hear Karin's response. But she didn't speak. All he heard was a loud SMACK and Kentaro curse and call her name before he couldn't hear their voices anymore. Hitsugaya emitted a low growl.

He wasn't a fool, he knew what had happened. The bastard had kissed her, there was no other reason for Karin to slap him. She may be a violent woman, but she wouldn't have hit her best friend for just confessing his feelings. She wasn't that cold.

Hitsugaya had been in a particularly foul mood all day. Matsumoto's condition had stagnated. She still hadn't regained consciousness and her wounds were healing at a much slower rate than anyone had expected. Then, last night, her blood pressure had dropped drastically, and Hitsugaya had stayed up all night pacing outside her room while several members of 4th squad worked tirelessly to stabilize her. They had emerged in the morning, puffy eyed and fearful at what they had to tell the 10th squad taicho.

"Ano, Hitsugaya taicho," one of them spoke with a trembling voice.

"Yes," Hitsugaya replied, trying to clear his face of strain and worry. "How is she?"

"Well, Hitsugaya taicho, it seems that those are not normal wounds. There is some unusual poison in them that is preventing them from healing. We have stabilized her for now but…"

"WHAT!" Hitsugaya screamed in outrage, his nerves finally pushing him over the edge. "Don't tell me you just noticed this poison NOW! She's been here for months, who knows how much it has spread and what damage it's done!"

"We're terribly sorry, Hitsugaya taicho," the 4th squad member cowered. "It's a new type of poison, we're never seen anything like it, and we couldn't detect it until now…" her voice trailed off, as she prayed that Hitsugaya would cease screaming at her. Hitsugaya wanted to punch a wall, but he refrained.

"Just find an antidote," he said sourly before storming off.

Nothing anyone said that day could comfort him. Even when Unohana had left 4th squad to personally come and apologize to him, it had taken every ounce of his willpower to keep from biting her head off. He just wanted to see Karin, but knew that she was busy with a friend's birthday or something.

It had been a long day and the very last thing Hitsugaya needed was to hear a conversation like the one that had just come through his phone. He needed to be alone to think and collect his thoughts, so he went out to a lone hill which was secluded and often deserted. Once there, he threw himself down furiously, slamming Hyourinmaru to the ground with a little more force than he had intended.

The sword glowed and an ice dragon slithered out. He flew gracefully through the air for several moments before settling himself down at Hitsugaya's side.

"That hurt you know," he reprimanded.

"Sorry," Hitsugaya apologized coolly. He wasn't really in the mood to talk, even to Hyourinmaru.

"You know, you're slipping," Hyourinmaru chided. "I've had to come out twice this year."

"I didn't ask you to come out," Hitsugaya replied. He didn't want to be rude to Hyourinmaru, but at the moment, he didn't really care about his actions.

"I know you didn't," Hyourinmaru continued, ignoring Hitsugaya's harshness. "But I didn't have a choice. When your mind is so troubled, it's my responsibility to help you clear it. Besides, it's too painful to live in when you're like this."

"Sorry," Hitsugaya said again, and this time he meant it. "I'm worried about Matsumoto."

"Matsumoto will pull through," Hyourinmaru stated. "We've never met anyone with such a strong will to live. 4th squad is talented. They will find an antidote. And you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened."

"I don't still blame…" Hitsugaya started, but checked at the stare Hyourinmaru was giving him. The dragon knew more about him than he did, so if he said that he still blamed himself than he still blamed himself. Part of him knew that he had never fully cleared himself of that guilt.

"Remember what Karin told you," Hyourinmaru said, relaxing his death stare. "Matsumoto worked hard to get where she is and she would take it as an insult if she knew that you felt she needed protection. She's not Hinamori." Hitsugaya sat in silence, processing this. But Hyourinmaru wasn't finished.

"That girl is bright and insightful. She's a very good influence on you."

"Who, Matsumoto?" Hitsugaya asked incredulously. Hyourinmaru looked at him with almost sarcastic eyes.

"How did you become such a genius? I'm talking about Karin." Hitsugaya brushed off the insult. It was clear that Hyourinmaru had moved onto the second topic that was disturbing his mind.

"I…I don't know what to do," he admitted. He could tell his true feelings to Hyourinmaru, it wasn't like he could hide them anyway. "That Kentaro kid told Karin he loved her. I know she doesn't feel the same way about him, but…" He didn't know why he felt like this. Jealous was what Hyourinmaru had called it the last time. But this was a different feeling, and Hitsugaya couldn't place it. He was hurt, angry, and upset. He didn't doubt Karin's loyalty, but it still made him feel anxious that someone else had not only confessed his feelings, but kissed her, particularly someone Karin was so close to.

"You wish you had told her first," Hyourinmaru broke into Hitsugaya's thoughts.

"Told her what?" he asked.

"That you love her."

"But I…"

"Don't tell me you're still so blind?" Hyourinmaru asked impatiently. "I thought we dealt with this little issue last time."

"I love her?" Hitsugaya asked cautiously. He had never been in love before and he didn't really understand things he had not experienced. He didn't really know how it was supposed to feel. But he did know that Karin made him happier than anyone else he had ever met. She spoke to him with attitude, in a way no one else dared, but he enjoyed it, relished it even. He felt safe and warm in her presence. He wanted to be with her always. And with Hyourinmaru stating it so clearly and openly, he knew he couldn't deny it. He loved her.

"Hyourinmaru," he said softly. "Will you help me?" He knew he didn't need to explain himself. The dragon could read his innermost thoughts.

"Of course," Hyourinmaru nodded. And if dragons could smile, Hyourinmaru would have.

**Congrats to S. T. ****Nickolian**** for guessing correctly!**


	8. Chapter 8

The sun streaming through the windows alerted Karin to the fact that it was morning. She rose reluctantly from her futon and stared out the window. The birds were chirping and a gentle breeze wafted in, carrying the scent of the flowers. A stream flowed lazily in the distance, glistening in the sun. Karin took no joy in the sight. She had barely slept all night and was not looking forward to facing her friends. She could not get over what had happened last night.

She had suspected for a while that Kentaro's affections for her were more than just friendly, but she had foolishly ignored them, hoping that she was wrong. And now she would have to deal with the fact that their friendship would be strained and awkward. He had kissed her! She would have to apologize for slapping him. After all, he didn't know about Hitsugaya, but she was still furious.

But something else bothered her even more than the kiss. Kentaro had told her he loved her. No boy had ever said that to her before. She knew Hitsugaya cared for her deeply, but he had never said anything like that. He wasn't really one for words, and he expressed his affection in other ways, like soft eyes, warm smiles, and gentle kisses. But he had never said he loved her. And now that she had heard those words from someone else's lips, she needed to hear them spoken by the one she loved.

Yes, Karin had admitted to herself weeks ago that she was desperately in love with the 10th squad taicho. She hadn't told him yet, thinking it was unnecessary. Of course her loved her back! But now, after Kentaro's confession, she needed to hear him say it.

She was interrupted in her musings by a knock on the door.

"Karin," Shinta called. "Are you awake? Breakfast is ready."

"Coming," Karin replied. She sighed. Today was going to be a long day.

She opened the door and followed Shinta to the boys' room. A delicious looking breakfast for four had been brought in, but Karin wasn't hungry. She sat down, pointedly avoiding Kentaro's eyes.

"Man, we were so drunk last night," Ryoga said, pressing on his forehead. "I've got such a hangover!"

"So Karin," Kentaro asked nonchalantly, "what'd you do after we passed out last night. Did you go straight to bed?"

"No, I went for a walk...wait," Karin whipped her head around to stare at him, "you don't remember?"

"Remember what?" Kentaro asked confused. "The last thing I remember about last night was you telling me I had drunk too much and Ryoga here drooling in my lap!"

"I do not drool!" Ryoga insisted. Karin couldn't believe it.

"So, you don't remember meeting me on my walk?" Karin asked hopefully.

"Ah, no sorry," Kentaro apologized. "I must have been too drunk. Did I do something stupid?"

"Kind of, but don't worry about it, I already know you're an idiot," Karin smiled at him as relief washed over her. What he said last night may have been real, she couldn't be entirely sure now, but if he really didn't remember then at least things wouldn't be awkward between them. With renewed spirit, Karin began her breakfast.

"I'm going to take a bath," she said, standing up and she finished eating. "Don't follow me or you won't have any limbs left."

Kentaro watched her walk out, a look of longing on his face.

"You didn't forget a thing, did you?" Shinta asked gently. Kentaro shook his head.

"No. I remember everything. But trust me, it's better this way. It's obvious that she doesn't feel the same way about me as I do about her. Now maybe I won't lose my best friend."

-------------------------------

The ride home was tense to say the least. Karin was still disturbed by what had happened, even if Kentaro said he didn't remember. All she wanted to do was get home so that she could go to Soul Society and see Hitsugaya. She needed him to tell her that he loved her.

Kentaro was heartbroken and couldn't bring himself to look at Karin, which suited her just fine, so they sat in the back seat in silence. Ryoga and Shinta, who had been told the events of the previous evening by Kentaro, tried to tease them without revealing too much, but such subtle teasing was too difficult and earned them too many bruises from both Karin and Kentaro, so they soon switched to safer topics, like the World Cup soccer tournament in which Japan was doing rather well.

"Thanks guys!" Karin called as they let her off in front of her house. She watched as they drove off and the second she couldn't see their car anymore, she whipped out her zanpakto and opened a senkai gate, anxious and eager to see Hitsugaya. She followed the hell butterfly to Soul Society. The instant she arrived she took off running, tracing the very familiar path to 10th squad.

Hitsugaya was in his office, but he wasn't really working. His mind was too distracted. His face lit up as he felt Karin's reiatsu, and he breathed a soft sigh of relief. He had been waiting for her. He hoped she would come. No, he knew she would come. He trusted her and knew she was faithful. He had vowed not to tell her that he had overheard her conversation with Kentaro, it would only make her feel uncomfortable. But he was actually glad in a way that he had heard it. It gave him the courage to do what he needed to do.

Hitsugaya pretended to be working as Karin barged into the room almost breaking the door down.

"Karin!" Hitsugaya exclaimed in a very well acted tone of surprise. Karin came over to his desk and leaned on it, trying to catch her breath. Hitsugaya stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Toushiro," Karin said seriously, her stare piercing into his very soul. "Do you love me?"

"Huh?" Hitsugaya asked, this time genuinely surprised. He had not expected her to just come out and ask him like that.

"Do you love me?" she said seriously. Hitsugaya smiled and took her hand.

"Come with me," he said softly. "I want to show you something." Karin pulled her hand back.

"You didn't answer my question!" she said firmly.

"I will. I promise. But I want to show you something first." Karin glared at him for a moment, but his eyes reflected so much hope and affection that she finally conceded.

He led her to the place where they had watched the stars only a few evenings ago. Already, it seemed like so much had changed between them since then, but, like the change in their relationship that had occurred during their ten year separation, this one had happened when they weren't looking, when they least expected it, and when they were apart. It was ironic really, how much of their relationship developed when they were separated.

Karin was confused to say the least. She loved this spot, it was true. It overlooked a valley and one could hear the birds in the trees that surrounded it. It was the perfect place to watch the sunset and the stars, both of which she and Hitsugaya had done on numerous occasions, but why did he want to show her this now? It wasn't like it was a surprise or anything.

"Toushiro, why are we here?" she asked.

"Because this is the place where I want to answer your question," he said smiling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package.

"Open it," he said, handing it to Karin. She took the package from him and unwrapped it.

Karin's mouth fell open. Inside the package was a stunning ring. The stone glittered with an almost unnatural sparkle. It was a very pale blue. It was the most incredible thing Karin had ever seen.

Hitsugaya basked in her happiness and shock for a moment before taking both her hands in his.

"Karin," he said affectionately, his feelings for her causing his eyes to shine. "I love you. I love you more than anything in the world. Will you marry me?" Karin almost fainted. She couldn't contain her joy. Here she had been worried! She threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately.

"I take that as a yes?" Hitsugaya teased.

"Of course!" Karin said breathlessly. She turned back to the ring, lifting it up so that it caught the sunlight.

"It's incredible," she marveled. "I've never seen a stone like this before."

"Well, that's because it's not a stone," Hitsugaya explained. "It's ice. From Hyourinmaru. When I release Hyourinmaru, the ice will turn cold. And if I'm injured, the ice will crack. It'll reform when I'm healed. That way, you'll always know when I'm fighting and when I've recovered." He paused, slightly embarrassed. "There's a little piece of my soul in that ring." Karin's eyes filled with tears from the immensity of it all. This was the most precious thing she had ever received. She could never have dreamed of something like this.

"Arigato Toushiro," she said gratefully before kissing him again.

**Aw, Hitsugaya gets to be romantic! It's so cute! And I hope you all hate Kentaro a little less now, he's really not such a bad guy. Oh, and if you still don't understand, the thing that Hitsugaya needed Hyourinmaru's help with was the ring. **


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is kind of unnecessary, but it was fun to write and I hope ****it's**** fun to read. Not a whole lot happens though, so I apologize for that.**

It had been a long and emotionally draining day and Karin was exhausted. She decided that she would tell her family about her engagement that night at dinner. She wasn't really excited about the prospect, but she couldn't possibly keep this a secret any longer. But now, all she wanted was a nap. She went straight to her room and was about to collapse on her bed when Ichigo barged in.

"Don't you knock!?" Karin barked, thoroughly annoyed.

"Is it true?" he asked flustered. "Are you really marrying Toushiro?"

"That's Hitsugaya taicho to you," she mocked, in a rather impressive imitation of Hitsugaya. "And yes. But how on earth did you know?"

"Rukia just called me," he replied, holding up his own cell phone communicator.

"Rukia?" Karin asked in a strained voice. "How would she know already?"

"Well, Hitsugaya told Hinamori, and she told Renji who told Rukia, you know how these things go," Ichigo explained. Karin groaned. All of Soul Society must know by now and they had only been engaged for an hour! Honestly, information passed around Seireitai faster than shunpo.

"I would have thought I might hear it from my own sister first though!" Ichigo glared. Karin rolled her eyes.

"We just got engaged today and I just got back, when was I supposed to tell you?" Karin said with exasperation. Ichigo ignored this. There were more pressing matters on his mind.

"Karin," he began seriously. "How are you going to do this?"

"What do you mean?" she asked annoyed. "People have gotten married before you know."

"Yeah but, well, he's dead."

"So?" Karin spat bitterly. "I love him and he loves me. I don't see what the big deal is."

"Well, where are you going to live?"

"Soul Society I guess," Karin answered. "It's not like he can just give up being a taicho, and besides, I like it there. And I have permission from the soutaicho to stay as long as I want."

"But…" Ichigo said desperately.

"Ichi-nii, it's my life!" Karin yelled. "You have no control over this. I'm marrying him and that's it."

"Really! Karin-chan are really getting married!?" squealed an overly excited voice, and Karin was suddenly knocked over backwards by the force of Yuzu's hug.

"Ano, Yuzu, how much of that conversation did you hear?" Karin asked nervously. Yuzu knew nothing about Soul Society, and if she had heard Ichigo say Hitsugaya was dead, it could cause major problems.

"Just the last part about you getting married!" Yuzu cried with delight. "Is it true?"

"Ah, yeah I guess so. Now get off me please."

"Sorry," Yuzu apologized and released her suffocating embrace.

"So," she continued, panting like a dog eager for a treat. "Who is he?" Karin had luckily thought this part through already. It was fine to tell Ichigo the truth, but to everyone else she needed to come up with an explanation as to why she was moving with her new husband to somewhere with no address, where no one could visit them.

"His name is Hitsugaya Toushiro and he's in the army. He's a really elite officer who gets sent on top secret missions all over the place, so we'll be moving around a lot."

"Ooo, sounds dreamy," Yuzu gushed. Karin met Ichigo's eye, who shrugged, as if to say it was as good a story as any.

"So," Yuzu continued excitedly, "when are you two having the wedding?"

"Wedding, what wedding?" Isshin cried, nearly breaking the door down in his exasperation. "Karin why was I not informed of this?"

"Moh, why does everyone in this family eavesdrop on private conversations?" Karin groaned. So much for telling the family calmly at dinner.

"She's marrying a secret agent!" Yuzu gloated.

"Yuzu, that's not exactly what I said," Karin tried to explain, but she couldn't be heard over Isshin's wailing that his daughters were growing up too fast and that Karin would get married over his dead body.

It took a while for Karin to calm the family down and assert that, yes, she was getting married, and yes, she would be moving away, but she would also visit as often as she could. Isshin and Ichigo were still grumbling, but Yuzu was on Karin's side, and by the end of the night Isshin was telling Karin that he wanted to see lots of grandchildren as soon as possible. So much for, 'over his dead body.'

-----------------------

Meanwhile, in Soul Society, the gossip about the 10th squad taicho marrying the shinigami representative was spreading like wildfire. Hitsugaya had run into Hinamori on his way back from walking Karin to the senkai gate. He might not have even told her just then, but she asked him how he and Karin were doing, and he wasn't going to lie to her. By the time he got back to his squad house, it seemed like everyone in Seireitai knew. Which is how Hitsugaya found himself with Ukitake in a tailor's shop in Rukongai.

"Ukitake," Hitsugaya asked for the hundredth time, "why are we here? Karin and I only got engaged today, we don't even have a date for the wedding yet. Is buying an outfit to wear for it really that important at the moment?"

"Of course!" Ukitake replied brightly. "You can't get married in your shinigami uniform, you need something more formal. And this is the best tailor in 1st district."

"Yes, but why are we doing this now?" Hitsugaya asked bitterly. Suddenly, Ukitake's face lost some of its glow and his smile fell.

"Because I promised Rangiku-san ages ago that I would buy you something nice to wear if you ever got married," he said, looking straight at Hitsugaya with pitying eyes. Hitsugaya felt his whole body slacken.

"Oh," he replied. They stood in silence, the mood of the outing broken. The tailor, who had entered the room holding an armful of cloth, stared from one to the other in utter confusion, wondering if he should interrupt.

"So, who's the lucky groom?" the tailor asked exuberantly, trying to lighten the mood in his shop.

"I am," Hitsugaya answered stepping forward. He looked at Ukitake. "I'll give in this time. If Matsumoto finds out I didn't let you buy me a wedding outfit, we'll both regret it forever." Ukitake smiled warmly at him.

"That's exactly what I was thinking!" he replied with renewed energy.

--------------------------------

After the fiasco with her family was over, Karin decided that it was time for her friends to know the truth. She invited them all out to dinner, telling them that she would treat. Big mistake.

"Another order of sukiyaki over here!" Ryoga called to waiter.

"You know, I'm going to have to work for a year to pay for this meal," Karin admonished. All three boys laughed.

"It's your fault Karin, you know how much we eat!" Kentaro chided. "You should have been expecting this!" Karin shook her head.

"So, what's the occasion?" Shinta asked curiously. "It's not like you're treating us just because you had money to burn."

"You're right," Karin took a deep breath. The moment of truth. "I have something important to tell you guys."

"You're moving to outer space?" Kentaro asked.

"You have a secret identity?" Shinta guessed.

"You and your lover are eloping?" Ryoga queried. Karin burst out laughing. She couldn't help herself. They had no idea how close they all were to the truth.

"Well," she said, calming herself down slightly. "At least we're not eloping." Three jaws dropped and six eyes bored into her. Kentaro, who had been leaning on his elbow slipped, causing him to lose his balance and crash to floor sending Ryoga and Shinta into hysterics.

"So you really did have a secret lover?" Ryoga asked wide-eyed. "I was just joking about all that."

"Well you were right. I did have one and we're getting married." She reached into her pocket and put her ring on before sticking out her hand to display the ice-based engagement ring.

"Woah!" Shinta marveled.

"Dude, he's rich!" Ryoga said enviously. But Kentaro wasn't looking at the ring. He was looking at Karin's eyes. They were glowing with a joy he had never seen before. Whoever this mysterious guy was, Karin was deeply in love with him.

"Congratulations Karin," he said gently. "I hope he makes you happy." Ryoga and Shinta looked from one to the other. Karin smiled warmly at Kentaro.

"Arigato," she said gratefully.

"But," Kentaro continued, "if he hurts you in any way, I reserve the right to beat the crap out of him." Karin snorted.

"I'd like to see you try!" she teased. This had gone better than she could have hoped, and they spent the rest of the evening in joyful laughter.

**Not much happens right? But it's fun anyway and I promise I'll update sooner because of it. The next chapter is my favorite.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Just so you all know, the reason this story exists at all was because I wanted to write this chapter. I originally wanted to put it in my other story (the "Hatsukoi", "Advice", "Sacrifice" trilogy), but it just didn't seem to fit as well, so I had to leave it out. But I really regretted not writing this scene, so I created "Hyourinmaru" just so that I would have the opportunity to write this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.**

Matsumoto was still sleeping. Her wounds were much better, but Unohana didn't know how long she would be in her coma. The antidote however, seemed to be working, and there was a sense of hope in the air that she would indeed make a full recovery.

Hitsugaya entered her room silently. He walked up to the edge of her bed.

"You're going to have the shock of your life when you wake up," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You didn't even know there was anything between Karin and I, and when you wake up, I'm going to be married. The surprise might just put you back in a coma." He paused and looked at her longingly. "I wish you were here today," he almost pleaded.

Today was the big day. It was his wedding day. He had come to see Matsumoto before he left for the human world. He and Karin had both agreed that that was where they wanted to get married. Karin wanted her sister, father (she doesn't know he's a shinigami), and friends to be able to come, and Hitsugaya was more than happy to get married far away from the gossiping tongues of the other shinigami. The marriage of a taicho was a major event, something at which every shinigami was likely to attend. But Hitsugaya didn't want that, he hated the thought of everyone in Seireitai watching him at such a personal moment, so he jumped at Karin's suggestion that they have the wedding in Karakura. The only person coming with him was Hinamori, who refused point blank to be left out of the festivities. Hitsugaya was glad that Hinamori was attending, but he wished Matsumoto could be there too, although he would probably never have admitted that to her if she had been awake.

"Hitsugaya-kun," Hinamori said timidly, appearing in the doorway. "Are you ready?"

"Just a second," he replied. He reached out and took Matsumoto's hand in his own, giving it a light squeeze. "Wish me luck," he whispered, then turned and followed Hinamori.

----------------------------

The Kurosaki household was utter chaos. Clothing was flying everywhere, people raced back and forth, bows were tied wrong, makeup was smudged, and everyone was screaming. It was amazing that four people could make such a racket.

"I'm glad we're having a small wedding," Karin said to herself as she saw Ichigo run past her room with his pants on backwards. "This family causes enough excitement for 100 people." She was interrupted by Yuzu, who was attacking her with lipstick.

"I said I don't want any!" she insisted angrily. She had never worn makeup before and was not planning to start now.

"But Karin-chan!" Yuzu whined. "Don't you want Toushiro-kun to think you look beautiful! It is your wedding after all."

"I don't…" Karin started, but was forced to stop by Isshin who grabbed her from behind and held her head firmly in place with his hands.

"Go for it Yuzu!" he cried excitedly.

"Otousan!" Yuzu moaned, "now you messed up Karin-chan's hair! I'll just have to do it again!" she said brightly, and Karin knew that if she continued to struggle, she would never make it out of the house in time.

"Fine, Yuzu, do whatever you want, I don't care anymore. And oyaji, go shave. You look like a goat!"

------------------------------

Somehow, the Kurosakis managed to leave to house, pile into the car, and make it to the Shinto shrine where the wedding was to be held, on time. Everyone was wearing their clothing correctly and Karin was sporting her fourth makeover, Yuzu having been dissatisfied with the first three.

Karin greeted the guests. There weren't many of them. Urahara had come, with Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta. The mod souls, Ririn, Cloud, and Nova were their too, but thankfully in their gigais and not in their stuffed animal forms. Karin had become close with all of them over the years. Kentaro, Shinta, and Ryoga were there, the latter two sporting ridiculous flowers in their suit pockets, which Karin promptly removed.

"You look like clowns!" she chastised. "And I thought I told you to wear traditional dress!"

"We thought these looked cooler!" Ryoga insisted pointing at his suit with pride.

"You look incredible Karin," Kentaro said nervously, trying not to stare at her. She was wearing a traditional white kimono, but it was embroidered all over with dragons and phoenixes outlined in a soft blue thread. It had been a gift from Hinamori, who had become a close friend of hers during the time she had spent in Soul Society, and Karin was overjoyed with it. The symbolism of a dragon and phoenix was obvious to everyone, but only those who knew about her and Hitsugaya's zanpaktos' could fully appreciate how meaningful the kimono really was.

"Thank you," she said, trying not to make eye contact him. She knew how much effort it was costing him to be here, and she was exceedingly grateful.

"So where's the man of the hour?" Shinta asked eagerly. "I want to finally meet him!"

"Yeah, I've been wondering if he even exists," Ryoga joked. "I mean, where's he been all this time?" It was true, her friends had not actually met Hitsugaya. He had only managed to slip away from Soul Society once during their engagement, and Karin thought it was more important for him to meet her family. That had been stressful enough. Adding her friends to the mix would have just been too much.

"He should be here soon," she said, looking at the sky. She felt around for his reiatsu. He was going to be late! Then, right on cue, Hitsugaya and Hinamori's reiatsus' appeared. Karin's face unconsciously lit up with joy, something that did not go unnoticed by her friends.

"What's got into you?" Shinta asked.

"Nothing," she replied mysteriously, before turning away from them to go greet the residents of the Urahara shop.

It didn't take long for Hitsugaya and Hinamori to reach the shrine. The group that was already there, who were laughing joyfully, fell silent as they approached. Ryoga, Shinta, and Kentaro poked each other. Karin turned around to face Hitsugaya as he walked up to her. They gazed at each other for a moment and grinned nervously.

"You look beautiful," he croaked, finally finding his voice. The truth was, she looked fantastic, but he couldn't possibly put his feelings into words at that precise moment. The kimono Hinamori had bought her highlighted her body and features in a very attractive, yet modest manner, one befitting a bride. Her hair was in an elegant twist on the back of her head, and a pair of pearl earrings, inherited from her mother, dangled from her ears. And her face was radiant. Behind the makeup Yuzu had forced on her, and the nervousness that had appeared upon Hitsugaya's arrival, the expression she wore was one of pure joy and excitement. As they stood there in each other's presence, the fact that they were getting married felt more real than it ever had before. Hitsugaya took her hand and their eyes locked together. They stood like that for several minutes, and even Ryoga knew not to interrupt their silent conversation.

Someone else did.

"Did you really think you could just get married without us, Hitsugaya taicho?" asked a familiar voice. Hitsugaya and Karin were torn out of each other's gaze and brought harshly back to reality.

"Kyoraku taicho?" Karin asked, shocked. But he wasn't the only one there. Kyoraku, Ukitake, Renji, Rukia, Ikkaku, and Yumichka stood there, beaming at the group.

"What are you all doing here?" Hitsugaya asked perplexed and slightly angry. "I thought I specifically said I didn't want a crowd!"

"We're hardly a crowd, Hitsugaya taicho," Ikkaku said amused. "But really, what's a wedding without friends?"

"Sorry, Hitsugaya taicho," Ukitake apologized. "I was against it since I knew you wanted a small wedding and all, but she insisted on coming and forced us all to join her."

"She?" Hitsugaya wondered.

"Taicho!" cried a voice and suddenly, Hitsugaya was being suffocated by an excessive amount of strawberry blond hair and an even more excessive amount of cleavage.

"Matsumoto…can't…breathe," Hitsugaya stuttered, his voice horribly muffled. Matsumoto pulled back and beamed at him.

"I must have woken up right after you left. Ukitake taicho explained everything to me," she said exuberantly. "I went to find him since you weren't in the office, and he told me you were here getting MARRIED! I'm so excited, I don't know what to do with myself! Isane's probably going to have a heart attack when she finds out I'm gone, but I just couldn't miss this!" Hitsugaya was still staring at her like he had never seen her before.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked concernedly.

"Yes," she looked at him affectionately. "Ukitake taicho told me. You visited me everyday didn't you?"

"You're my fukutaicho," he mumbled embarrassed, but Matsumoto understood. Hitsugaya was too proud to admit that he was genuinely concerned about her as a friend rather than a subordinate. In another situation, she may have teased him for it, but she decided that today was too special to ruin.

"Arigato taicho!" she grinned exuberantly.

"Neh, Karin," Shinta whispered. The boys had come up behind her, very curious about the sudden appearance of so many strange people. "What's with the hottie? Isn't it a little weird that she's being so friendly with your fiancé on your wedding day?" Karin laughed.

"Don't worry, there is absolutely nothing romantic between the two of them. There is no way I could possibly be jealous over that woman. But, I'm thrilled that she's here. She's a very special person to Toushiro." Karin looked at Matsumoto and Hitsugaya and felt warm all over. Now, today was perfect.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that," Ryoga continued suspiciously where Shinta had left off. "I mean, she's totally flirting with him…oof," he exhaled as Karin punched him in the stomach.

"But who are these people?" Kentaro asked confused. "And why do they all call each other taicho?" Karin thought fast.

"Well, I told you Toushiro's in the army. These are other, uh, soldiers. Toushiro is a taicho for his unit, and so are some of the others. They're all highly ranked, elite members, so don't get on their bad side or it'll be the last thing you do."

"Now that everyone's here, let's get this party started!" Isshin cried, bouncing up and down.

"Alright," Karin agreed as butterflies filled her stomach.

--------------------------

The ceremony was short but sweet. Yuzu and Isshin cried in each other's arms. Rukia and Hinamori were also close to tears. Urahara policed Ryoga and Shinta to keep them from catcalling. Jinta kept stealing glances at Yuzu, taking advantage of her distraction to marvel at how beautiful she was, but was swiftly reprimanded by Cloud who told him to pay more attention to the wedding.

Afterwards, there was a small party in the garden behind the shrine. Due to the large number of unexpected guests, there wasn't nearly enough food. Urahara disappeared for about 20 minutes and returned with a mountain of delicious smelling treats. No one asked him where they came from; they didn't really want to know.

Everyone was enjoying themselves immensely. The day seemed magical. Suddenly, the laughter was broken as every shinigami present stiffened. They looked at each other. Renji pulled out his phone.

"Huge hollows at least, maybe menos', I can't be sure. Ten of them," he read squinting at the tiny screen. "They must have been attracted by so many powerful reiatsus in one place. They're really close by."

"Hitsugaya taicho, Karin, take the day off. We'll be fine without you," Kyoraku said standing up. Hitsugaya and Karin nodded. They really didn't mind fighting, but knew that no one wanted them to, not today, and it wasn't worth the effort to argue with them. Besides, the day was too perfect to soil with hollow blood.

Ukitake, Renji, Rukia, Ikkaku, Yumichka, Hinamori, and Matsumoto pulled gikongan pez dispensers out of their pockets. But before Matsumoto could take hers, Hitsugaya had grabbed her arm.

"You're not going either," he insisted. "You might still be injured."

"But taicho," she whined. But she knew she couldn't argue on this one. Even puppy-dog eyes wouldn't work on him now. There was no way he was going to let her fight.

"Fine," she huffed.

Kentaro, Ryoga, Shinta, and Yuzu stared at everyone else like they were out of their minds. They had no idea what was going on, or what everyone was talking about. But what occurred next was even more shocking.

Ichigo suddenly collapsed on the floor. Rukia, who had been sitting beside him, jumped on him and cooed in a baby voice,

"Oh, poor wittle-Ichigo, has no Kon to pway with!" Renji began meowing like a cat.

"I want to take a nap," he purred. Then he licked his wrists and rubbed them behind his ears before curling up in a ball. Hinamori jumped up excitedly and spoke in the same voice as Rukia,

"Ooo, Wenji's so cuddwy and cute when he's sweeping!" She ran over to him and hugged him. Ikkaku, who had been singing rudely a moment earlier, sat down and said calmly,

"I think I'll just wait here." He didn't even react to Yumichka jumping in his lap and stroking his hair. Ukitake jumped up and started dancing a bizarre jig.

"Come on everyone, dance with me!" he cried! He was joined swiftly by Kyoraku, who was the only one who seemed not to have changed at all.

Hitsugaya slapped his forehead in frustration.

"Stupid Bureau of Technological Development," he mumbled angrily as Matsumoto laughed hysterically beside him. Isshin, pretending that nothing was wrong, started to dance with Ukitake and Kyoraku. Yuzu looked downright frightened. Kentaro motioned for Karin to join him, Ryoga, and Shinta in a little huddle they had formed, trying to separate themselves from the madhouse that had just materialized in the garden. She grimaced, wondering how she was going to explain this one.

"Karin, what on earth just happened?" Shinta asked nervously. "It's like everyone just went crazy or something."

"Was it the food? I bet it was the food, I don't trust that Urahara guy." Ryoga said, his eyes darting, trying to remember how much of it he had eaten.

"Um," Karin began, but was interrupted by Hitsugaya.

"It's a tradition in my branch of the army," he explained naturally. "At weddings, we entertain the bride and groom by adopting a completely different personality for a while. Sorry if it took you by surprise."

"Oh, so that's it!" Shinta said, understanding dawning on his face.

"Sounds like fun!" Ryoga cried.

"Let's try it!" Kentaro added, and the three started mimicking their teachers from high school. In between her laughter, Karin leaned over and kissed Hitsugaya.

"Thanks for that. Nice save." She beamed at him. He grinned and kissed her again.

"You're very welcome. Come on, let's enjoy the 'entertainment!'" And they amused themselves with watching the antics of the various gikongan until the owners of the gigai returned. As Karin watched Yumichka plant a warm kiss on Ikkaku's cheek, she decided that this was the greatest wedding she could ever have imagined.

**I hope you liked it! No one writes about weddings for some reason and I thought this one just sounded like too much fun not to be recorded somewhere.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Forewarning: Don't let this chapter turn you off the story. Remember, this is a romance story, not an angst story.**

Karin adjusted quickly to her new life in Soul Society. It didn't even feel like that much of a change, since she had spent so much time there while she and Hitsugaya were dating. She had many friends among the shinigami and had more than enough entertainment training with the squad members. She also continued to help Hitsugaya with his paperwork. Despite the fact that Matsumoto had fully recovered, she was so lazy with her work that Karin decided, as she had before, that if she ever wanted Hitsugaya to leave the office, she had better give him a hand.

Karin and Hitsugaya had been married for almost a year when Hitsugaya received a summons to meet with the soutaicho.

"I wonder what he wants," Karin asked lazily from the couch, putting down her brush and yawning as she watched the hell butterfly leave the room, its message delivered.

"I don't know," Hitsugaya replied. He stood up and gave Karin a quick kiss. "I'll be back soon." He left and headed towards 1st squad. When he arrived, the guards announced his presence.

"Come in, Hitsugaya taicho," boomed a voice. The guards slid the doors open and Hitsugaya entered.

"You wanted to see me, Yamamoto soutaicho," Hitsugaya asked with a slight bow.

"Yes," Yamamoto replied. "I have a mission for you in the human world. We have received reports of very unusual activity in a small town in northern Japan. Apparently, a powerful hollow is able to disguise himself as a human. While in human form, it is impossible to detect his reiatsu, and he uses this advantage to eat not only dead souls, but living ones as well. I would like you to find him and kill him."

"Understood," Hitsugaya nodded. "I assume Matsumoto is to join me."

"Yes," Yamamoto said. "And I think you should bring your wife as well." Hitsugaya flushed slightly.

"Yamamoto soutaicho, I am capable of being apart from her for a few days. I do not need her to accompany me…"

"Hitsugaya taicho," Yamamoto interrupted. "Your wife is a shinigami. Although she is not officially a member of the Gotei 13, she has volunteered to help us if we need her assistance. I believe that her extensive knowledge of the human world will be an asset to you on this mission. It is why you were chosen specifically."

"I understand. Excuse me." Hitsugaya bowed himself out, then went to explain the mission to Karin and Matsumoto.

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"Yay, the human world!" Matsumoto exclaimed excitedly when they arrived. "Taicho, I'm going to go shopping, alright?"

"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said in a strained voice, "we're here on a mission."

"Yes, and our mission is to observe the humans for any unusual behavior to see if they may be the hollow we're looking for," she explained. "So I'm going to do my research at the mall! See you later!" And she took off running without another word. A tick mark appeared on Hitsugaya's forehead.

"She never changes, does she?" he sighed. Karin grinned and took his arm.

"We might as well do some research of our own," she said brightly. He gave in and let her lead him to a park.

"If I was a hollow pretending to be a human," she said thoughtfully, "I would disguise myself as a child. I think children are less suspicious."

"That's just your excuse for going to the park isn't it?" Hitsugaya asked slyly. It was true that Karin loved going for long, peaceful walks, and had dragged Hitsugaya through more than his fair share of parks. Not that he really minded, but he still enjoyed teasing her about it. Karin swatted him lightly on the arm.

"Maybe. But I really think watching the children is a good idea." They strolled through the park, watching everyone they passed for signs of unusual behavior. They tried to remind themselves that they were on a mission, but it was a beautiful day and they couldn't deny that they were enjoying themselves.

Karin was watching a group of children playing. She smiled at the sight. They seemed so joyful. One particular boy caught her eye. He was about ten years old she guessed, and he looked normal enough. His head was shaved and he wore glasses. But there was something about him Karin didn't like.

"Hey," she said, nudging Hitsugaya in the side. "See that boy? The bald one?"

"Yeah, what about him?" Hitsugaya asked.

"He's juggling bean bags," she said, still staring at the boy. Hitsugaya looked at her, an amused expression on his face.

"So? He's a kid. What's so weird about that?"

"See, this is exactly why Yamamoto soutaicho wanted me to come," she said, and Hitsugaya became slightly concerned by the seriousness of her voice. She wasn't teasing him.

"Juggling bean bags like that is a girl thing," she explained. "Boys just don't do things like that."

"Well, maybe his friends are girls," Hitsugaya rationalized. "Or maybe he has lots of sisters." But Karin wasn't convinced. She continued to stare intently at the boy until Hitsugaya pulled her in a different direction. Neither of them saw the boy look after them, licking his lips hungrily.

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Hitsugaya sent Karin to find Matsumoto and buy them dinner. He refused to set foot in the mall, and besides, Karin was much more familiar with procuring food in the human world than he was. In her absence, he headed back to the park. He may have thought she was crazy earlier, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that any clue was something, and he shouldn't just turn his back on that boy without at least investigating him a little further.

He reached the park and wandered around the area where the boy had been. It was deserted. It was getting dark after all, and most of the children had probably returned home for dinner. Hitsugaya had just made the decision to continue his search the following day, when he heard a child's voice call out to him.

"Hey mister, I know what you really are." Hitsugaya turned around and found himself face to face with the little bald boy.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Hitsugaya insisted, raising his guard. The boy's face twisted into a terrible, evil smirk. It was not befitting a child of his age.

"I know you're a shinigami." And with that, the boy melted away as he transformed into a viscous looking Adjuchas. He was armed with long, razor sharp claws on both hands. He looked vaguely familiar to Hitsugaya, but at the moment, he couldn't place him.

"Teme," Hitsugaya cursed, and wasted no time in removing his gigai. He drew Hyourinmaru and, without hesitation, he attacked the Adjuchas. The clash of steel on armor echoed throughout the park. The Adjuchas's skin however, was akin to that of the Arrancar. It was so tough, that a slice from Hyourinmaru's unreleased form had no effect. The Adjuchas laughed cruelly.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" Hitsugaya cried, and, not the least bit intimidated, he attacked again.

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The stone in the ring on Karin's finger turned icy cold. She started with surprise and stared at it. At least it was still intact.

"What are you looking at?" Matsumoto asked curiously. The origin of Karin's engagement ring was a secret between her and Hitsugaya. And Hyourinmaru of course. Although the ring had suddenly frozen over, it looked the same. Only Karin knew that something had changed.

"Toushiro is fighting," she said calmly. She wasn't worried; her husband was strong. She and Matsumoto felt for his reiatsu. They located it, and took off running, eager to join the fight.

Karin wasn't the least bit concerned until she heard the crack. It was quiet, almost inaudible, but Karin knew instinctively what it was. She increased her speed, trying to quell her fear. But the severity of the crack in her ring was increasing with every step, threatening to shatter it. Karin prayed that they would reach him in time.

It was not a pretty sight. Hitsugaya was still bravely facing the Adjuchas, but he was bleeding profusely from several gashes and was having difficulty breathing. He was on his knees, leaning desperately on his zanpakto for support. Karin gasped. Not so much at the wounds, she had been expecting them and was braced for them. She was looking at the Adjuchas. She knew him.

"Kyojin!" she spat. "So you're the one behind this!"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little Kurosaki girl?" Kyojin mocked. "What a treat, what a treat, I finally get to take my revenge for you destroying my army a few years ago!"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Hitsugaya said darkly, his anger boiling over. Kyojin looked from Hitsugaya to Karin and laughed, a dark and terrifying laugh.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm much more creative than that. I'm going to kill you in front of her!" And with that he leapt towards Hitsugaya, slashing his enormous claws at him. Hitsugaya tried to move, to react, but he had lost too much blood and was too weak.

"NO!" Karin shouted desperately, and without thinking, she jumped in front of Hitsugaya only a second before the talons made impact. She was thrown in the air as easily as a toothpick and was tossed several yards away.

"Kar…in," Hitsugaya stammered before he blacked out.

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Images swam in front of him, but he couldn't place them. They were too blurry and it was too dark. Slowly, a concerned face came into focus.

"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya whispered. "What…"

"Shh, don't speak yet taicho," she said solemnly. "I gave you that antidote Unohana made for me. I brought some with, along with a blood regeneration solution. I figured after last time, having an emergency medical kit with us was a good idea. I'm almost done bandaging your wounds. I'm no expert though; you should still go to 4th squad when we get back." Hitsugaya briefly registered how responsible that was of Matsumoto, and he would tell her so later, but right now he had much more important things on his mind.

"Karin," he choked. "How is she?" Matsumoto didn't look at him. She tried to focus on the bandage she was tying. Hitsugaya did not fail to notice this.

"Matsumoto," he asked more urgently. "How is she?"

"She's…" Matsumoto's voice caught in her throat as she turned to face her taicho. She took a deep breath. "The claw pierced her right through the heart. She was dead before she hit the ground." Matsumoto's face was lined with pity and grief. "I'm so sorry taicho."

**I felt it was about time for a dark chapter, things needed to be shaken up a bit. Oh, and I'm pretty sure that juggling is a girl's game in Japan, but if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Last chapter! I hope you all aren't too turned off by the last one. Read this one, I promise it's good.**

"She's…dead?" Hitsugaya said in a strangled voice. How could she be dead? First he had failed to protect Matsumoto, now he had let Karin die right before his eyes. He felt his tears flow down his cheeks, but he didn't bother to wipe them away. Matsumoto silently squeezed his hand, allowing him this moment of grief.

"I want to see her," he stammered. Matsumoto nodded and helped him stand. She walked him over to where Karin lay. All in all, she didn't look that bad. Most of the blood had dried and the holes from where the claws had impaled her weren't even that large. But Matsumoto was right. There was a gaping wound directly through Karin's heart. She had been beyond saving the moment the talon made contact.

Hitsugaya knelt beside her. He lifted her into his arms and broke down completely. He rocked her back and forth and called her name desperately. He had never felt such pain in his entire life and never before had he displayed such raw emotion. It was only the second time in his life he could remember crying, and that time he had also been crying against Karin's shoulder. The memory of that night, the night she had first become more than just a friend to him, made him sob even harder. Matsumoto stood back, embarrassed but understanding. She waited patiently for him to finish. When he had cried all the tears he had, he didn't feel any better. But his grief had reached a point that was beyond tears.

"What happened to the Adjuchas?" he asked in a defeated voice.

"I killed him," Matsumoto said gently. "Right after you blacked out. I don't think he even noticed me. His back was to me since he was turned towards Karin, so I hit him with kido, which weakened him enough to…" her voice trailed off. Hitsugaya didn't care about the details at the moment. "Well, Heineko did a number on him. He's dead now." They sat in silence for a while. Finally, Hitsugaya stood. His legs almost gave out under him, but his resolve was stronger than his body.

"We need to find her soul," he said with conviction. Matusmoto gave him a pitying look.

"Taicho, we have no idea where she went. She could be anywhere. Not all souls stay in their place of death, many go to places that they remember from life, and others just wander aimlessly. And besides, you're in no position to be searching anywhere. You can barely walk!"

"I don't care! I have to find her before someone does a soul burial and she loses all her memories! I need…I need…" Tears began to well up in his eyes again as he spoke.

"I need to say goodbye." He took several steps forwards, but his pain and grief overwhelmed his will to stand, and he fell over unconscious.

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Hitsugaya opened his eyes. He recognized his surroundings. He was in a room in 4th squad. Matsumoto must have brought him back here after he fainted, he reasoned. He didn't know how long he had been out, but it didn't matter. The pain and memories of what had happened flooded back to him as sharp reality set in. Karin was gone. Dead. And if he didn't find her soul soon, either someone would perform a soul burial, or else she would turn into a hollow. He shouted in exasperation.

"Ah, you must be awake, Hitsugaya taicho!" Hanataro said brightly, sliding the door open and bowing himself into the room. "I have breakfast for you." Hitsugaya wasn't the least bit hungry and Hanataro's cheerful attitude was beyond what he could stand right now.

"How long was I out?" he asked gruffly. Hanataro gulped at his tone.

"Only a week. Since Matsumoto fukutaicho used the antidote so quickly, your wounds were easy to heal. They weren't that deep, you were mainly suffering from blood loss," he explained cautiously.

"I see. Thank you," Hitsugaya said coolly, and Hanataro took his cue to leave and quickly bowed himself out.

Hitsugaya looked to his side. Hyourinmaru was leaning on the wall next to the bed. He picked up the sword.

"I really wish I could talk to you now," he said longingly. And to his surprise, the sword glowed blue and the ice dragon sailed out, seating himself comfortably at the side of the bed.

"I didn't know you would come out if I asked you to!" Hitsugaya said astonished.

"You've never asked," Hyourinmaru replied nonchalantly. Hitsugaya stared at the ceiling for a while.

"What should I do now?" Hitsugaya asked painfully. He didn't know why he had fallen so low that he felt the need to ask for advice, but he was beyond the point of caring about his actions. And besides, asking Hyourinmaru wasn't exactly like asking anyone else.

"You're the genius," Hyourinmaru chided. "You figure it out." Hitsugaya was too tired to reply.

"Don't go looking for her," Hyourinamaru advised. "You know that your chances of finding her are nearly impossible. You'll waste the rest of your life searching for her and you'll never move beyond this. Besides," he added, staring at Hitsugaya knowingly, "she may appear again when you least expect it. In the most likely place." Hitsugaya fought back his tears. He had known, all along, what Hyourinmaru would say. He knew it was the right decision. But it tore him apart regardless.

"Arigato," Hitsugaya said in a defeated voice. Hyourinmaru nodded.

"Understand that she died to protect you," he said fixing Hitsugaya with a gentler stare than he ever had before, "She loved you enough to sacrifice herself for you. She wouldn't want you to waste this life that she has given you." And with that he slithered gracefully back into the sword.

Hitsugaya lay there for the better part of the day, too emotionally drained to drag himself out of bed. He instructed Unohana that he didn't want any visitors on pain of death. He wasn't in the mood for condolences. Finally, he managed to build enough resolve to face the world again. After all, he wasn't really injured anymore, and as a taicho he really had no business staying in bed any longer. He stumbled home, trying with all his might to walk with dignity, but his stone cold face and swollen eyes betrayed him.

It wasn't until he reached the door to his room that he realized that this was the last place he wanted to be. This was where he and Karin had lived happily during their short time together. Everything in the room reminded him of her. He could still feel her reiatsu pouring out, as if she was still inside, waiting for him.

Wait, he realized with a jolt, and his neck snapped to attention. That reiatsu-it's way too strong to be a remnant. It can't be…

He ripped the door open and his jaw dropped. He looked like he had seen a ghost. Well, in some sense, he had.

"Welcome home!" Karin said cheerfully. "I was wondering when you were going to grace me with your presence. I was told at 4th squad that you would murder any visitors and I didn't think dying again was such a good idea," she added mischievously. Hitsugaya was rooted to the spot, his jaw still hanging open. Karin laughed and approached him.

"Close your mouth. You look like a dead fish!" she teased. And she kissed him. Passionately. More passionately than she had in a long time. Hitsugaya melted into her embrace, relishing in her warm touch, her familiar scent, her soft skin. It was real. She was real. He didn't know or care how, this was Karin, his wife, the woman he loved more than any other. Somehow, she had returned to him.

"How…" he asked, finally finding his voice. But Karin finished his sentence for him.

"How did I get here?" she asked, a glint in her eye. "Well, I don't know if you remember, but I _am _a shinigami. That Kyojin bastard killed me alright, but that just meant I lost my body. My soul is a shinigami soul, which means I don't need a soul burial to come to Soul Society. I just opened a senkai gate. I didn't lose my memories. I wouldn't have left without you, but when I woke up, I was somehow in front of my house in Karakura. You know that souls sometimes end up in places that were important to them and I guess that's what happened to me. So I figured I'd come wait for you here." She smiled sweetly at him.

In the midst of digesting this, Hitsugaya couldn't help but remember Hyourinmaru's words to him.

"She may appear again when you least expect it. In the most likely place."

"That annoying dragon," Hitsugaya thought, but he wasn't really angry. "He knew all along she was here and just didn't want to tell me." Hitsugaya heard Hyourinmaru's satisfied growl echo in his mind. He looked back at Karin and his face broke out into an enormous grin. He drew her close to him in a tight embrace.

"I love you. I'm never letting you go again, ever," he said affectionately before kissing her again.

**The end! I couldn't really kill Karin ****off,**** I'm too much of a sap to not have a happy ending.**

**Thank you so much to all of my readers! I smiled every time I read your reviews, they made me so happy! I hope you enjoyed reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think of the end. Thanks again for reading this far!**

**P.S. If you liked this story, I honestly think my other one is better. It's another ****HitsuKarin****fic**** and it's a trilogy, "****Hatsukoi****", "Advice", and "Sacrifice". It's definitely more thought out and ****Hitsugaya**** and Karin's relationship is much more developed. So if you think you can stand more of my ****rantings****, it would really ****mean a lot to me if you would tell me what you think of that one. Thanks again! I love you all, you make writing worthwhile!**


	13. Author's Note

**Author's note: To all my beloved readers,**

**I have decided to write a sequel! ****Yay****! It's called "****Mizufenikkusu****", which, if you don't remember, is the name I gave Karin's ****zanpakto**** in this story. So "****Hyourinmaru****" and "****Mizufenikkusu****" can be a pair. How cute. Ok, enough of my ramblings, I hope you enjoy the next installment of Karin and Hitsugaya's romance. Oh, and I promise nobody dies in the next one!**


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